Encyclopedia entry

Astrobus

Spacecraft · France

Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.

The Airbus-M medium satellite bus used for the 712 kg Spot-6 and Spot-7 earth resource satellites. Other Airbus satellite platforms received retroactive Astrobus designations. Satellite bus built by Astrium (ex Dornier), Europe.

More at: SPOT-6.

Subtopics

TerraSAR-X German civilian surveillance radar satellite. Scientific / commercial surveillance satellite, equipped with an X-band synthetic aperture radar with 1 meter resolution SAR satellite built by EADS Astrium for DLR, InfoTerra, Germany. Launched 2007 - 2010. Used AstroBus.
COMS 1 (GEO-Kompsat 1, Cheollian 1) Null
SPOT 6, 7 / Azersky Null
Sentinel 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D Earth Observing (Ocean) satellite built by EADS Astrium => Airbus Defence and Space for ESA, Europe. Launched 2015 - 2017. Used AstroBus-L.
Per+Sat 1 Null
CHEOPS Astronomy satellite built by Airbus Defence and Space for ESA, Europe, Switzerland. Used the AstroBus-300 (AstroBus-S) / Myriade-Evolutions bus.
MERLIN satellite Earth sciences satellite built by DLR, CNES; Airbus Defence and Space (bus) for DLR, CNES. Used the AstroBus-300 (AstroBus-S) / Myriade-Evolutions bus.
Paz SAR satellite built by EADS CASA Espacio for Hisdesat. Used AstroBus.
Sentinel 5p Earth Observing satellite built by EADS Astrium => Airbus Defence and Space for ESA. Used AstroBus-L 250 M (AstroSat-250).

Family: Earth
Country: France
Launch Vehicles: PSLV
Launch Sites: Sriharikota PSLV
Bibliography: 12119

Chronology

7 events

2007 June 15

02:14 GMT - . Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: Baikonur LC109. Launch Pad: LC109/95. LV Family: R-36M. Launch Vehicle: Dnepr.

TerraSAR-X - . Mass: 1,346 kg (2,967 lb). Nation: Germany. Agency: DLR. Manufacturer: EADS Astrium. Class: Surveillance. Type: Civilian Radarsat. Spacecraft Bus: Astrobus. Spacecraft: TerraSAR-X. USAF Sat Cat: 31698 . COSPAR: 2007-026A. Apogee: 510 km (310 mi). Perigee: 507 km (315 mi). Inclination: 97.45 deg. Period: 94.79 min. Scientific/commercial surveillance satellite. equipped with an X-band synthetic aperture radar with 1 meter resolution.

2010 June 21

02:14 GMT - . Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: Baikonur LC109. LV Family: R-36M. Launch Vehicle: Dnepr.

Tandem X - . Mass: 1,350 kg (2,970 lb). Nation: Germany. Agency: Makeyev bureau. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military Radarsat. Spacecraft Bus: Astrobus. Spacecraft: TerraSar-X. USAF Sat Cat: 36605 . COSPAR: 2010-030A. Apogee: 509 km (316 mi). Perigee: 507 km (315 mi). Inclination: 97.50 deg. Period: 94.80 min. Radar surveillance satellite with 1-m resolution in spotlight mode..

2012 September 9

04:23 GMT - . Launch Site: Sriharikota. Launch Complex: Sriharikota PSLV. Launch Pad: LP1. Launch Vehicle: PSLV.

Spot 6 - . Mass: 712 kg (1,569 lb). Nation: France. Class: Earth. Type: Earth resources satellite. Spacecraft: Astrobus. USAF Sat Cat: 38755 . COSPAR: 2012-047A. Apogee: 699 km (434 mi). Perigee: 697 km (433 mi). Inclination: 98.20 deg. Period: 98.70 min. Earth observing satellite built by Astrium/Toulouse for Astrium subsidiary Spot Image (Toulouse)..

2014 June 30

04:22 GMT - . Launch Site: Sriharikota. Launch Complex: Sriharikota PSLV. Launch Vehicle: PSLV.

Spot 7 - . Payload: AstroSat-500 Mk.2 (AstroBus-L). Mass: 712 kg (1,569 lb). Nation: France. Spacecraft: Astrobus. USAF Sat Cat: 40053 . COSPAR: 2014-034A. Apogee: 699 km (434 mi). Perigee: 697 km (433 mi). Inclination: 98.20 deg. Period: 98.73 min. Earth observation satellite with a 2 meter resolution on a 60 kilometer swath..

2015 June 23

01:51 GMT - . Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Complex: Kourou ZLV. Launch Vehicle: Vega.

Sentinel 2A - . Mass: 1,130 kg (2,490 lb). Nation: Europe. Class: Surveillance. Type: Surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: Astrobus. USAF Sat Cat: 40697 . COSPAR: 2015-028A. Apogee: 790 km (490 mi). Perigee: 788 km (489 mi). Inclination: 98.57 deg. Period: 100.64 min.
Visible/infrared band earth observing satellite. The visible camera had a 10 metre resolution and a 290 km swath. Sun synchronous orbit; 1030 GMT local time of the descending node. Built under a EUR 195 million ESA contract as part of the European Global Monitoring for Environment and Security system.

2016 September 16

01:43 GMT - . Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Complex: Kourou ELV. Launch Vehicle: Vega.

PeruSAT-1 - . Nation: Europe. Class: Surveillance. Type: Surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: Astrobus. USAF Sat Cat: 41770 . COSPAR: 2016-058A. Apogee: 678 km (421 mi). Perigee: 676 km (420 mi). Inclination: 98.20 deg. Optical surveillance satellite for the Peruvian military..

2017 March 7

01:49 GMT - . Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Complex: Kourou ZLV. Launch Vehicle: Vega.

Sentinel-2B - . Mass: 1,130 kg (2,490 lb). Nation: Europe. Class: Surveillance. Type: Surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: Astrobus. USAF Sat Cat: 42063 . COSPAR: 2017-013A. Apogee: 782 km (485 mi). Perigee: 776 km (482 mi). Inclination: 98.60 deg. See Sentinel 2B. ESA Sentinel-2B imaging satellite, part of the EU's Copernicus Earth observing system, launched by Vega VV09..